


La Le Lu

by Multishipperlove



Series: Zemnian Roots [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Lullabies, Nightmares, zemnian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 16:26:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20567363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multishipperlove/pseuds/Multishipperlove
Summary: Caleb gets a surprising companion during his night watch when Kiri is woken up by  a bad dream. And what better way to calm a child back down after something like that than a lullaby?





	La Le Lu

**Author's Note:**

> So this might turn into a series with other german children's songs, rhymes, stuff like that, because this wasn't the first idea about this I had but it's the first one that got written. I hope you enjoy it!  
Also, there's no reason they're taking watch here alone despite it fitting better with the story. So just ignore that detail.

By the time the Mighty Nein finally stop for the night it is already dark, the moon the only light still illuminating their path. They find a place to rest eventually, pulling the cart off the street and hiding in the nearby tree line, where they can secure the horses and find some cover from the up-starting wind. 

It is cold enough for everyone to huddle together on the cart. Even Yasha doesn't separate from the group this time, instead she let's Kiri huddle close and accepts Jester and Beau curling up next to her. Molly, not surprisingly, doesn't have an issue with getting right in there as well. He throws his tapestry over all of them, shielding them even more from the cold air.

“I can take first watch,” Fjord offers, looking to Caleb and Nott, the only ones who haven't joined their companions yet. Especially Caleb seems a bit unsure on what to do, but has to admit that he is too tired to stay up for another few hours. 

So he agrees. “Alright. Wake me up for second, then. Nott?” He looks over to her, and she nods slightly, already rubbing her eyes as well. “Third,” she agrees, before mumbling something he doesn't catch and crawling in under the colourful cloth, somewhere near Molly's feet. 

It's been a long day, even though they did not do much despite travelling, and Caleb can feel the exhaustion down to his bones. Having to realize that joining the others on the cart will also be better than freezing by himself, he does his best to ignore any physical discomfort and climbs back up as well. Luckily, it doesn't take more than a few minutes for him to fall asleep. 

But it feels like the second he has closed his eyes, he is already woken up again by Fjord. If it wasn't for Caleb's intrinsic knowledge of the time of day, he would have sworn the half-orc was messing with him. But indeed, time had passed, the placement of the moon gave it away as well, and it was his turn to keep watch now. 

“I can just wake Molly if you're that out of it,” Fjord offers in a whisper, but Caleb shakes his head.

“No, no... I will be alright,” he assures him, keeping his voice just as quiet. He sits up and then moves from his spot, making space for Fjord instead. 

Caleb sits down at the edge of the cart, legs dangling, and casts dancing lights. He lets them float out, far enough away that they hopefully won't wake his companions but close enough for him to have a good overview of their resting space. There is no fire, so he tugs his coat closer and leans against one of the sides, already missing the shared warmth of his earlier sleeping arrangement. 

His watch goes by calmly at first. The few noises he hears are nothing more but small forest creatures, gone as quickly as they appear. Now and then someone shifts behind him, only to settle down again with a soft sigh.

But after the first thirty minutes or so, the shifting behind him grows more restless. He turns his head, watching as something moves under the tapestry, making disgruntled bird-noises. 

A few seconds later, Kiri pokes up, the feathers on her head sticking up in different directions. Caleb doesn't need a comprehend language spell this time to see that she is upset. She chirps again, a sound more akin to crying this time, and starts freeing herself from the little nest between Yasha and Beau.

Before Caleb can really comprehend what is happening, he finds himself with a lap full of bird, still making woeful noises against his chest. He raises his hand and pats her back, careful, awkward, and very much out of his depth at the moment. 

“Hey... hey now, it's alright,” he says, keeping his voice down as he tries to hush her. “Shhh, Kiri, please. We do not want to wake the others, do we. What is wrong?” 

A second after asking he already realizes it's a stupid question, because it's not like she can actually tell him what's bothering her. But with how she got to them in the first place, and the fact that it's the middle of the night, it's not a hard guess. Caleb is no stranger to nightmares. 

So he just holds her a bit closer, allowing the small child to bury into his coat as if it's the only thing shielding her from whatever terror she has seen in her dreams. 

He thinks the forgets it at times, but Kiri _is_ a child. A child who has lost her entire family in a scary environment just days ago, and was picked up by a group of strangers who barely remember that she is with them at times. __

_ __ _

Holding her like this reminds him of his own childhood, and how his mother would sit up with him for hours when he had a bad dream. Something he denied himself quickly as he grew older, thinking he knew so much of the world, thinking he could handle everything by himself. How stupid he had been. 

But the memory brings warmth with it as well, and with that come the songs his mother would sing to him. To sooth him, to get him back to sleep again. 

Seeing how Kiri is still shivering in his embrace, and still chirping in a tone that breaks his heart, the words flow easily. He doesn't sing, hasn't done it in ages, but right now it feels like the natural thing to do, even though his voice is rusty and he is surely not hitting all the right notes. 

_La Le Lu  
Nur der Mann im Mond schaut zu___

_ __ _

It's a slow lullaby, with a text that makes little sense to adults but still moves something in them, if for no other reason than it's familiarity. And it seems to work, too. 

He's gotten her attention now, the sound rumbling low in his chest while he is still rubbing her back with gentle hands, his eyes turned up to the brightly lit moon. 

_Wenn die kleinen Kinder schlafen  
Drum schlaf auch du_

He stops briefly at the end of the first verse, which prompts Kiri to nudge his side with an expectant look. She has grown quiet by now, fascinated by new sounds and a language she doesn't know. It takes him a few seconds, but Caleb does remember the second verse as well. 

_La Le Lu  
Vor dem Bettchen stehn zwei Schuh_

She seems satisfied when he starts up again, curling up a bit but still watching closely. Not wanting her to get cold, Caleb moves his coat a bit, wrapping her up in it as well. 

_Und die sind genauso müde  
Gehn jetzt zur Ruh_

He finishes his little song, and it's quiet for a moment or two before Kiri makes an almost indignant sounding noise, as if she's demanding him to continue. 

“I'm sorry, I don't know how it goes on,” Caleb admits, feeling bad for it too. He knows that the original version, or at least the one his mother would sing him, was a lot longer. But this is all he remembers. 

“I can sing it again though,” he offers, when Kiri whines quietly and presses closer to him. 

“Yes!” is all the reply he gets, and it makes him laugh a bit that it's Jester's voice coming back at him. Surely she would like to hear him sing as well, he thinks, but she doesn't need to know about this. Unless Kiri decides to repeat all of this to the others tomorrow. Which he really hopes she does not. 

“Alright, but let's keep this between us then,” he whispers to her, before starting the lullaby again. 

It goes on for a while, with him just repeating the first two verses over and over, until Kiri finally relaxes in his lap. Until, eventually, she falls back asleep. He keeps her in his embrace, telling himself it's only because it's warmer for both of them that way. 

He only lays her back down with Yasha once his watch is over, making sure to tuck her in with the tapestry as best as he can. She starts shifting for a moment, but thankfully doesn't wake up again. 

As a last thought he calls on Frumpkin. The cat doesn't need much convincing to curl up right next to Kiri, purring softly as the child wraps both her wings around him. 

“There you go. Keep her save for me tonight,” Caleb whispers, giving Frumpkin a gentle pat as well. Because even a barbarian with a sword can do little against something like a nightmare. 

Cats on the other hand are, at least in Caleb's experience, excellent at that.

**Author's Note:**

> Bad Translation bc I'm too lazy to search for an actual one: 
> 
> La Le Lu  
Only the man in the moon is watching  
When the little children sleep  
So sleep as well
> 
> La Le Lu  
Two shoes stand before the bed  
And they are just as tired  
Going to rest now
> 
> And a link to a version of the song:  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgg7E0KCGS8


End file.
